As semiconductor manufacturers continue to reduce the scale of semiconductor devices, the diffusion of dopants throughout the gate layers of semiconductor devices becomes more difficult. Gate layers typically grow in a granular manner such that multiple grains meet at grain boundaries. The grain boundaries may provide a contiguous dopant migration path by which dopant may diffuse through the gate layer. When subjected to high temperature processes, however, grain boundaries may migrate causing the attendant dopant migration paths to also migrate, which is undesirable. Conventional methods for minimizing the migration of grain boundaries in the gate layer often lead to a reduction in dopant diffusion and a reduction in oxide reliability.